Double Feature Adventures: SINISTER/RESOLUTION!!

Last week we began a brand new weekly series called Double Feature Adventures, in which we sat down and watched two films that usually would absolutely nothing in common, but still shared a small link. This week’s theme was “two movies that revolve around characters finding film and trying to solve a mystery”, and we decided to go with two recently released films that I really enjoy, SINISTER and RESOLUTION. Check it out!

SINISTER

Jerry: So first off, we have SINISTER. I really dig this movie, a LOT. It has a real uneasy feel to it, and that pretty much carries on throughout the whole thing. What do you think?

Natty: Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to dig it at first, I thought it was going to be another boring “haunted house” movie, but it totally wasn’t. I was creeped out beyond belief for a while…I had a gnarly nightmare because of it, and I enjoyed it (the movie not the nightmare…).

Jerry: The scenes where Ethan Hawke’s character watches the rolls of film were definitely the scariest parts for me. One thing I don’t like about the movie, and I just can’t get on board with,..is his sweater. It’s something my grandma would’ve worn. Really, I hate that sweater. WHY Ethan, WHY?!

Natty: Seriously!!! It is so bad. It looks like he bought it on the clearance rack of “Hipsters R’ Us”. I also agree, when he is watching the film it is totally the scariest part. That damn Mr. Boogie freaks me out…

Jerry: One more thing about the film, and I’m curious what you think. A lot of people have said that the first half is more enjoyable than the second. Do you feel like once it became a more supernatural thing, that it lost its intensity? Personally, I love the whole movie, but I’m curious what your opinion is.

Natty: Actually, I loved the second half more than the first half. As soon as he started figuring out what was going on, and he became crazy and weird…to me that was way more intense. The first half was creepy, the second was creepy and intense, and all together I think that it made a pretty great movie

RESOLUTION

Jerry: Anyone who follows me on Twitter or is my friend on Facebook already knows how much I loved RESOLUTION, as I haven’t shut my mouth about it all year. I saw it last November I believe via Tribeca sending me a screener, and it instantly became a favorite of mine. It messes with your head, keeps you insanely interested the whole time, and has some of the best chemistry between the two leads that I’ve seen in ages. What did you think?

Natty: I also expected not to like this one, because you were way excited for it, but you also listen to Kings of Leon so your taste isn’t exactly the best. Hahaha, just kidding. Seriously,don’t use that, I’m kidding! I loved it. Since we started our double feature later than we should have, and I was exhausted…I watched it a second time to make sure I liked it, and to make sure I didn’t miss much. I still loved it. It had a very unique feel to it, I loved the storyline and the characters seriously seemed like they had been friends for years. They were great together.

Jerry: One of the many things I love about the movie, is how it starts as one thing: an endearing story of a friend who just wants to make sure his friend is okay, and wants to help him fight off his addiction, before turning into a completely different movie. While I thought the EVIL DEAD remake was good, I think RESOLUTION really nailed the friend trying to help the drug addict thing much better. Plus, ..and Justin and Aaron, the directors, as the creepy cult-like guys wearing matching white shirts freaked me the hell out.

Natty: Oh totally, I feel like they nailed it too. I actually felt really sad for them. It was nice to see someone really go out of his way, and care so much about his friend,..after you say your awws, it becomes a completely different movie. It was awesome!

I couldn’t thank you more for this pairing. Ever since seeing RESOLUTION, I’ve felt that it is the spiritual cousin to our film. Those guys were playing around with a lot of the same ideas as us and coming to wonderfully different conclusions. The last ten minutes of RESOLUTION are such a great statement on horror storytelling. And, of course, thank you for all the kind words about SINISTER. It means the world to us when fellow horror lovers connect with it.

Justin Benson

This is so cool. Have so much respect for Sinister for breaking new ground in horror with a new mythology and a rare conceptually frightening premise that follows through into an honest, punk rock 3rd act. It’s an eloquent script with great performances and masterful direction. Wish more horror took chances and valued innovation over homage.